Police association rebukes Liberal justice minister’s downplaying crime wave

Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser claims Canada “isn’t the Wild West,” but Durham Regional Police say the country’s current crime wave tells a different story.

Source: Sean Fraser, Facebook, April 27, 2025

Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser claims Canada “isn’t the Wild West,” but Durham Regional Police say the country’s current crime wave tells a different story.

Fraser criticized Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s proposal to enhance Canadians’ self-defence rights when dealing with a home intruder.

During a press conference in Brampton last week, Poilievre advocated for a “Stand on Guard” principle to be added to the Criminal Code. He said the amendment would clarify and reinforce Canadians’ right to self-defence during a home invasion.

Poilievre said if the Liberals won’t introduce the bill on their own, the Conservatives will introduce the proposed amendments in a private member’s bill.

“Canadians already have the right to defend themselves under a law Harper brought in, with Poilievre’s support,” wrote Fraser in response to Poilievre’s proposal in a post to X on Monday.

“Now he’s chasing a photo op by attacking police for doing their jobs. I trust police to lay charges and judges to consider evidence over Pierre playing cops & robbers.”

Fraser went on to say, “This isn’t the Wild West. It’s Canada. Canadians deserve real solutions that make us safer, not slogans that inspire fear and chaos for Pierre’s political survival.”

However, the Durham Regional Police association responded to Fraser saying that while “vigilantism is not the answer,” Canada does “actually does resemble the “Wild West.””

“When bullets are flying in open spaces at all different directions, having the potential to strike completely innocent individuals, or an 8 year old is struck by a stray bullet from a shootout while asleep in their bed, or a youth murdered in an open and full public food court washroom it actually does resemble the “Wild West,”” wrote DRP in a post to X on Tuesday.

“You say “Canadians need real solutions that make us safer, not slogans that inspire fear and chaos”. The fact is, your Government has been in place for a decade and offered no concrete solutions or actions to fix the problems that are ever increasing”

The DRP accused the Liberals of only offering “empty promises and excuses that favour the offenders rather than victims of crime.”

The DRP accused the Liberals of offering “empty promises and excuses that favour offenders rather than victims.”

Poilievre’s proposal was sparked in response to Jerremy McDonald, a 44-year-old man from Lindsay, Ontario, was charged after defending himself from a home intruder armed with a crossbow at 3 a.m. on August 18.

McDonald faces assault charges for allegedly injuring the intruder. His case is ongoing.

McDonald’s story gained national attention, prompting reactions from both Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as well to declare that Canadians should be able to defend themselves in their own homes.

“Your home is your haven. Your family is your responsibility. And your right to defend both is fundamental,” said Poilievre on Friday. “Conservatives will make sure the law is finally on your side, so you can stand on guard without fear of punishment.”

Poilievre also recalled the case of Cameron Gardiner, a 59-year-old Collingwood, Ont., man who spent six months in jail after freeing himself from zip ties in his home, wrestling a gun away from intruders, and killing two of the three invaders.

The proposed amendment to section 34(2) of the Criminal Code would “deem the use of force to be presumed reasonable when used against an individual who unlawfully enters a house and poses a threat to the safety of anyone inside.”

Poilievre noted that under Section 34 of the Criminal Code, Canadians have the right to use force to defend themselves and others from threats of force, but the law is vague and subjective.

He said the section lists nine “very complicated and vague conditions” to determine if force used was reasonable, but home invasion isn’t a factor on its own.

“Now look, if you’re defending your house, you don’t have time to think through nine different conditions. You have one condition to protect yourself and your kids,” he said. “And it is wrong for the law, for the police and for judges to apply a complicated, indecipherable legal doctrine against you when you were only doing what is right.”